Wet ash firewood

[AbrK]

So I got a load of ash logs last year in March cut them and split them almost right away when I burnt them they were sizzling and hissing like crazy left them outside all summer in a pile for half of it and stacked in rows covered on top for the last 3 months or so and they are still hissing and sizzling any ideas why they would still be that wet ? And yes they are Forsure ash lol, I have had ash that was cute and split and burnt all the same day with no noticeable wetness to them I don’t understand why This wood is still not dry.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Ash is a hardwood. Its high on the btu chart at about 23 million btus per cord. It takes a while for it to dry. What dose your moisture meter say the % is right now. Like oak and all the other dense wood your looking at 2 years to season. What was the starting moisture content of the wood. If was in the 38 to 40% range.. its still going to be wet.

 

[AbrK]

I don’t have a moisture meter I may have to invest in one but ash is suppose to be low moisture I hav cut down and split and burnt ash all in the same day with no hassle before but this load I got seems to not want to dry


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[Jags]

Over the years I have heard many claim the low moisture/ready to burn in a short time qualities of ash. I don't buy it. 12 months cut/split is about the shortest time frame I have found to produce the quality of fuel I want for ash. You ain't at the 12 month mark yet. Just my opinion.

(Full disclosure - my 12 months is also located in a quite windy and sunny location on a well drained cement slab.)

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

ash takes awhile to dry out. Does it get much sun light where you have it stacked? Sun light and air flow determines how long it takes to dry. Sounds like you're lacking on something

 

[lowroadacres]

My experience with Ash is similar if it is cut green. Where I find Ash shines is when it is standing dead for a long period of time. This fall we have been felling and cutting/splitting ash that has been standing dead for up to 6 and a half years. Moisture content on all but the bottom 18-24 inches runs sub 20 percent and often as low as 12 percent. One of the "tells" outside of putting the moisture meter on it is when both the combination of the bark falling off is paired with a visible crack or cracks running the length of the trunk all the way into the middle of the trunk.

 

[Woody5506]

The second half of my winter last year was spent burning ash that was at most 2 months split and stacked. Moisture was 18-20% and it burned great once a decent coal bed was established. To put it simply, the ash you're trying to burn is still too wet for whatever reason. was it covered during storage?

 

[beatlefan]

I burn a lot of ash. My experience has been that if it’s been lying on the ground for any period of time, it collects a LOT of moisture under the bark. After that happens, it’s like having a wet sponge wrapped around it and it takes forever to dry from that point. Peel the bark off of a couple of splits and see if it’s wet underneath.

 

[AbrK]

It sat in a pile for about 4 months and then I stacked it in rows inside my wood shed it’s completely under cover for the last 3 months or so that’s why I don’t understand what’s going on lol in theory it should be bone dry


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[WoodyIsGoody]

The second half of my winter last year was spent burning ash that was at most 2 months split and stacked. Moisture was 18-20% and it burned great once a decent coal bed was established. To put it simply, the ash you're trying to burn is still too wet for whatever reason. was it covered during storage?

Dry Ash doesn't need a bed of coals to burn well. I would suggest whatever method you used to determine moisture content was not all that accurate because your description sounds more like wood that was 22-26% moisture.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

It sat in a pile for about 4 months and then I stacked it in rows inside my wood shed it’s completely under cover for the last 3 months or so that’s why I don’t understand what’s going on lol in theory it should be bone dry

Was it sitting on the ground for the first 4 months. Because that could explain it.
Was it split or in rounds for the first 4 months? Because that could explain it.
Is your woodshed well vented on at all sides and exposed to the wind? Because that could explain it.

Two centuries ago Americans relied on wood for heating and cooking much more than they do today and they knew how to season wood because their quality of life depended upon it. Plus, they didn't want to have to put up 50%-100% more wood every year to compensate for poor burning characteristics of unseasoned wood. What I'm getting at is there's a reason they cut, split and stacked it upfront and put it under cover.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I don’t have a moisture meter I may have to invest in one but ash is suppose to be low moisture I hav cut down and split and burnt ash all in the same day with no hassle before but this load I got seems to not want to dry


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Go on amazon and get an inexpensive 2 prong moisture meter.. like 20 bucks and it will save a lot if heartache. If you had one you would have known the staring MC and also where it is exactly now and if you should be burning it.. or looking for wood for this year..
Dont take this the wrong way.. but in your last post you list that it sat for 4 months and was in a shed for 3 months undercover.. but none of that really means anything if the starting MC was in the mid 30s. All it means is you put wet wood in a shed and pulled it to early to burn.
I put wood in one of my sheds in January of this year.. its been under cover for 10 monthes.. its well ventilated. . Gets lots of sun.. gets lots of wind..and i checked the MC last month.. 25% MC... its not ready to burn

 

[pernox]

They were cut when the sap was up to grow leaves in spring, and if it was in a pile only the surface of the pile would get any sun or wind. Cutting and splitting allowed the drying process to start, but with fresh cut spring wood in a pile, the remainder of the significant moisture content hasn't had a chance to vacate yet.

My $.02.

 

[excessads]

I had our 22" base Ash tree located 2 ft from corner of the great room taken out shortly after we moved in (really don't know what the previous owner was thinking for the 8 yrs they lived here). They were c/s/s and fully covered, burned first season last year (little sizzling but never get passed 400F). A year forward, MC is about 22%, and I can get over 550F easy. My cord of ash was completely covered that may be the difference.

 

[cptoneleg]

It sat in a pile for about 4 months and then I stacked it in rows inside my wood shed it’s completely under cover for the last 3 months or so that’s why I don’t understand what’s going on lol in theory it should be bone dry


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You wasted 4 months of drying time in a pile. Should have stacked ASAP single row sun and wind if you wanted to dry so fast. I move my wood to woodshed after 3 years.

 

[Woody5506]

Dry Ash doesn't need a bed of coals to burn well. I would suggest whatever method you used to determine moisture content was not all that accurate because your description sounds more like wood that was 22-26% moisture.

Don't get me wrong, burning ash green vs seasoned is pretty night and day, but even at 22-26% moisture content after a couple months of being split and stacked would indicate it doesn't have as high of a moisture content as most other hardwoods. It's pretty burnable in a pinch, which is what i was in.

 

[Squirrel]

If you live in the same Ontario as I do (what's up with those Blue Jays?) don't forget we just had the coldest, wettest summer on record. Wood in my covered outdoor stacks hardly lost any moisture at all, luckily I have enough dry wood stored in a shed for this winter. High humidity and low temps just don't dry wood.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

If you live in the same Ontario as I do (what's up with those Blue Jays?) don't forget we just had the coldest, wettest summer on record. Wood in my covered outdoor stacks hardly lost any moisture at all, luckily I have enough dry wood stored in a shed for this winter. High humidity and low temps just don't dry wood.

And that's one of the weather variables that messes up people who haven't done contingency planning but there is one more:

1) How "wintery" will the next two winters be? No one knows, you might have two mild ones or two frigid ones.
2) How good will the summer drying weather be? No one knows. If everything was perfect, including water content of the tree when cut, you might be able to burn wood cut in the spring. If not so good, depending upon the species, it might take 3 years.

The variables add up so an experienced wood burner makes it a point to always have a year of contingency wood (above and beyond average needs). That way you're always burning well seasoned wood, which means you need a lot less anyway. Before you know it you will be "wealthy" with seasoned wood, your house will be easy to keep warm and you'll be doing less work than ever.

Conversely, if nature conspires against you and you fall behind, your wood doesn't burn as well, your house is more difficult to maintain comfort and you need to burn more of it - it's a compounding downward spiral! That's why you never want to fall behind.

 

[Sodbuster]

So I got a load of ash logs last year in March cut them and split them almost right away when I burnt them they were sizzling and hissing like crazy left them outside all summer in a pile for half of it and stacked in rows covered on top for the last 3 months or so and they are still hissing and sizzling any ideas why they would still be that wet ? And yes they are Forsure ash lol, I have had ash that was cute and split and burnt all the same day with no noticeable wetness to them I don’t understand why This wood is still not dry.

Was this Ash cut alive or was it dead, and if dead was the bark off? Here in Michigan there is no such thing as a live mature Ash, except in some treated plots by Michigan State University. Ash that has been dead for a few years, and the bark has fallen off can be burned the same year easily. Especially if it is in the open where the wind can get at it. Small diameter stuff can be burned the same day, I've done it. Sounds like you may have had some live Ash that should have CSS as soon as you got it.

 

[Soundchasm]

I think most folks will say they seasoning clock doesn't start till it's split. I haven't had good luck with piles, and ground contact is always bad.

So one obvious question is if it was live cut or standing dead?

Another legitimate question is whether it was limb wood or stump wood? If it's all from the base of the tree that is guaranteed extra time to season.

 

[AbrK]

It was all 12 foot logs I dug to the front of the wood shed and grabbed a few pieces and burnt them they burn fine witch makes sense the wood at the front would of been the wood on top of the pile so I have since put everything else outside in stacks and have the tops covered hoping it will be decent enough in a few months to burn I’ve got enough wood from the top of pile to keep me going for a bit anyways.


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[ValleyCottageSplitter]

So for reference:
I got 2/3 cord of green ash this year that was uprooted and suspended in our woods. The limb wood was put in my little shed around April, and the rest of the trunk was split and stacked around June in a single row with good cover and sun. The limb wood was at 23% in August after 3mo, not sure starting MC. The trunk wood started between 32%-36% and is already down to ~24% around Oct 15th (4mo). For comparison, the Norway Maple was stacked without cover in March, then covered in the same rack in July. It was 36% in July, now around 31% (7mo) in the covered rack.

So in my short experience, Ash seems to dry very quickly. According to the internet it should start around 36% green. But it has to be completely covered and open, preferably in the sun and with air space above and below.

 

[Sodbuster]

So for reference:
I got 2/3 cord of green ash this year that was uprooted and suspended in our woods. The limb wood was put in my little shed around April, and the rest of the trunk was split and stacked around June in a single row with good cover and sun. The limb wood was at 23% in August after 3mo, not sure starting MC. The trunk wood started between 32%-36% and is already down to ~24% around Oct 15th (4mo). For comparison, the Norway Maple was stacked without cover in March, then covered in the same rack in July. It was 36% in July, now around 31% (7mo) in the covered rack.

So in my short experience, Ash seems to dry very quickly. According to the internet it should start around 36% green. But it has to be completely covered and open, preferably in the sun and with air space above and below.

It "may" burn OK toward the end of the heating season, let it season for another year, and you'll be much happier with the performance.

 

[Woody5506]

Any tree guy I've gotten ash from has said the same thing - "ash is great, you can burn it green" although it's kind of a half myth, yes, you can burn it green way easier than other hardwoods. I have other ash that's seasoned for at least 5 years and there's really no comparison though.

 

[kennyp2339]

I think the Ash tree *myth comes from some old timers that swear way back when we use to have frigid winters that they could drop an ash, split it and be burning it for heat my supper time.
But with todays knowledge and technology we know that's not the case, we need ultra dry wood to burn properly in our epa rated stoves.